1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to transportation apparatus for moving people between spaced landings, such as movable stairways and walks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Transportation apparatus for moving people from one landing to another, such as moving stairways and walks, include a conveyor or endless belt mounted on a supporting structure. A plurality of steps, platforms or pallets, are fastened to the endless belt, and skirt panels are mounted on each side of the conveyor, immediately adjacent to the moving steps, platforms or pallets. The skirt panels, on each side of the conveyor, are commonly formed of a plurality of skirt sections disposed in end-to-end relation to provide a continuous skirt structure. Skirt mounting brackets are attached to the supporting structure, and the skirt sections are fastened to the skirt mounting brackets. Skirt splices interconnect the abutting ends of adjacent, aligned skirt sections.
In a typical prior art arrangement, the skirt mounting brackets and skirt splices are fastened to the same structural portions of the skirt sections. Thus, it is not possible to have a skirt mounting bracket at the location of a skirt joint and splice. Further, typical prior art skirt splices are bulky, complex and costly as they must include adjustment features for both lateral and vertical alignment of the skirt sections, as well as a locking feature for securely interconnecting the skirt sections.
It would be desirable to be able to locate the skirt mounting brackets without regard to the locations of the skirt joints and splices, as this would facilitate field assembly of such apparatus. It would also be desirable to simplify the skirt splice and reduce its cost. However, any changes incorporated to accomplish these objectives must retain the essential adjustment and locking features of the prior art skirt splices.